Quick and easy stand for making and serving cake pops

I built this on an afternoon after my wife and daughter announced to make cake pops for the first day in school. Having to meet rather tough time constraints ("We want start in half an hour!") I used some wood I had lying around and set aside any design considerations. Check the last step for possible improvements though!

Step 1: Tools and Supplies

Wood - Whatever fits your need. As you want to use it for food preparation I recommend something as clean as possible. I used some birch wood that I had lying around. The three sticks were around 88cm x 2.4cm x 2.4cm.
Saw - I used a handsaw because I built the stand in our appartment and didn't bother to go to the workshop. Feel free to use power tools though.
Screws - Their size depends on the dimensions of the wood you intend to use.
Drill bits - A 3mm bit for preparing the screw holes, a 5mm bit for drilling the holes which will later take the cake pop sticks. Make sure that its diameter matches your cake pop sticks.
Drill depth limiter - One of these little round thingies you attach to your drill bit to prevent it from going into the wood deeper than intended. Optional - see step 4.
Power drill - I used my cordless drill and a steady hand. If you have access to a stationary drill your holes will come out more precise though.
Measurement tools
Sanding paper - I gave the stand just a quick brush by hand. Again feel free to use power tools.
Sample cake pop stick - Preferably with a cake pop already attached to it! ;-)

Step 2: Measure

You probably want to keep the cake pops in your fridge at some point during preparation or afterwards so make sure the stand will fit there. I didn't think of this at first so I ended up taking it apart again.

Step 3: Build the Frame

Cut the wood according to your measurements. I originally placed the screws in such a way that there was only one screw visible on each side. This improves the stability as the individual pieces can't twist. However because I forgot to measure properly I ended up with a little different frame.

Use the small drill bit to pre-drill holes for the screws. Make sure that the drill bit is smaller than your screws diameter so they still hold. If you have a countersink you can widen the top of the hole for the screw head. This prevents the wood from splitting since you are working pretty close to the edge. In case you don't have a countersink, you can give the hole a twist with the drill bit (be carful though, can bend your drill bit and/or hurt yourself!) or even the screw bit if you use soft wood. Go easy on the screws escpecially in the end when sinking the head.

Add the inner pieces to the frame. This is optional but gives you the opportunity to place even more cake pops. Again pre-drill the screw holes and go easy on the screws.

Step 4: Drill the Holes

Mark the wood where you want to add holes. I put them 5cm apart as the cake pops have a diameter of about 2 - 2.5cm. Depending on your needs you can vary the spacing accordingly. I thought about putting the holes closer together and drill them slightly angled. Alternating them on the inside and outside of the frame you could fit even more cake pops but it might make decorating them. However I went for more spacing and straight holes.

Make sure to keep away from the screws. The easiest way is to put a screw like the ones you actually used on top of the wood and keep some distance.

Attach the depth limiter according to your wood. You want to drill as deep as possible for maximum stability of the cake pops but not too deep or even through. If you can get your hands on a stationary power drill there should be a way of limiting the depth as well.

In case you don't have a depth limiter you can also mark the desired depth on your drill with some masking tape.

Once you have finished drilling the holes you can sand the entire thing.

Step 5: Use It

For preparation and serving. Enjoy! :)

Step 6: Improvements

As I mentioned this project was done in minimum time. However some possible improvements come to mind:

Sand the stand properly and paint it. Preferably cake pop pink and some sprinkling. Also a great way to get the kids involved in this project. :)
Use aluminium instead of wood. If you intend to use it on a regular basis it might be easier to keep clean.
Use stainless steel for a heavy-duty version.
Have it 3D-printed as one solid piece.
Add handles for easier use.
You have some other idea? Please drop a comment! :)